Blank

For a month long, vast ideas were lingering inside my mind and I wanted it posted in this blog. But these words were just hanging on and waiting for them to be released and be put into writing. These thoughts were never freed. Imagine those broken and complex unorganized thoughts that it is so huge my entire brain cannot comprehend and it simply freezes once I sit in front of my laptop. The outcome – a blank.

Perhaps, this is just one of the effects of having a cerebrum not trained or may I say not born into depth, fine writing and extemporaneous speaking. Ever since when I was in grade school, good command of English writing and speaking is my utmost weak point. At all times, I struggle in this subject. That is why I actually despised topic reports and essay type of questions in my periodic examinations during my high school years. My words are insufficient to express my point of views on a certain topic. I never known the words before that melancholy is synonymous with sad; omnipotence to power, and profligate to extravagant. Correct grammar is also not my thing. I had also a hard grasp on the effects of the subject to its predicates: the s-verb thing. Every time we had exams such this either in high school or college, I often burn my eyebrows beforehand. After years of study and understanding, the s-verb thing rule was somehow instilled in my brain cells: If the subject is singular, the linking verb or the verb is plural and vice versa.

I admit I envy others who could write good stories or articles. I know few of the good writers either in history or contemporary time, they were born with it. Such talent is in their blood (How blessed they are!). But, how about those some who are ungifted, including myself? My keen interest in writing is only just lately. Maybe few years back. I guess, I was inspired to read and write more by my own weakness for me to learn. By engaging my free time to writing and reading, I assumed I have given myself the best opportunity of developing my weak points. I gained self-confidence in every unfamiliar word I read in the newspapers, online articles or even in the books and I could apply it in my own writing – most especially in this blog, the online blog that I started just this year. This merely expresses my way of thinking about all things. I, being the official member of the semi-introvert-type of person since a kid and who was haply and subconsciously aggravated by the early demise of my loving mother when I was in grade school, writing somehow distances myself of being solitude and concealed. I remembered the times when one of our subject teachers in 4^th-year high school asked us to individually relay a message to each one of our classmates before we part away. Nearly all of them except those I used to be friends with wrote in a piece of paper saying I had a very timid personality – because I rarely talk with them. And I was aware of that thing. For my lifetime, I have been correcting my perplexed attitude towards relationship with others and strangers. Seriously, I need this change put into effect at full liberty - freedom of initiating a conversation with strangers without reluctance, insecurities, and reservation.

With all these weaknesses in my brain and my will of my heart to learn, a blank document is might be a temporary thing. I wish my continuous learning through writing and constant interaction with others will slowly alter my circumstances. In God’s time, I wish for no blank outcomes. By realizing this wish, maybe it’s enough for me to say that I have reached the peak of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Things I observed in the State of Qatar

I have been staying in this gulf country for almost 15 months now and at that period I have adjusted to the life of being in a desert country. Qatar is one of the very rich countries in terms of crude production and its people including the expatriates are benefiting so much for that. A former British colony, the State of Qatar is blissfully enjoying its sovereignty and freedom. High-end structures, towering commercial buildings, hotels, apartments, and landmarks are continuously proliferating around the city. There are so much to talk about this tiny state and so far I have listed some of these plain observations below:

• Ana is not my friend’s name, either of my colleague’s name or any woman’s name. Actually it refers to me.
• Khalas is the most used Arabic word in the conversation.
• Aiwa is not an appliance brand; it is basically yes.
• The most common private vehicle of the Qataris or Locals is the White Land Cruiser. You see them freely parked outside in every Qatari’s house.
• If you’re a boss or office staff in your work, everything inside is served. If you want a glass of water – you ask; if you need a tea – you ask; if you need something to photocopy; you ask again. The office has someone tasked to do that for you.
• A liter of gasoline and a quarter liter of water costs 1 Qatar Riyal each. Water is 4x more expensive than gas. And that’s a fact.
• Expatriates are larger than the Qatari Nationals – in terms of numbers.
• The largest populations among the expats are the Indian Nationals.
• The number 1 enemies of the people inside their house are the bed bugs.
• Summer time means spending your time inside your house or playing your favorite games in an indoor area.
• Highest temperature reaches as high as 50-something degree Celsius during summer.
• Every house has air conditioner (aircon). It’s a must.
• Ramadan is the best time for shopping.
• Date trees are everywhere in the city.
• If you want to buy something in a grocery store or fast food chain – just honk the horn of your car. Someone will come from the store to get your order. By the way, this is mostly done by Qataris. Just like a privilege enjoyed by the Qatari nationals.
• Holding hands in public by two lovers is not prohibited.
• People always bring with them their Qatar ID (Pataka in Arabic).
• Every mobile SIM used by the people is registered in the government.
• You see Indian nationals everywhere.
• Public parks from afternoon until night on Fridays are prohibited to persons who are singles unless he is seen with a woman or kids.
• Trees, plants and even grasses do not grow freely. They are being taken care of everyday.
• Markets (Souq) or shopping malls are livelier at night than in day time. People prefer to shop after sun sets.
• Pepsi products are popular than Coca Cola products.
• Chicken meat is widely consumed than any other meat livestock products.
• Public transport is solely run by the government.
• It usually rains when change in season is imminent.
• In driving, you will get used to round-abouts instead of intersections in the street.
• Say signal instead of traffic lights, flat instead of apartment, lift for elevators, fridge for refrigerators; petrol for gasolines
• When talking with other nationals (except British, Australians, Americans) – carabao english is more preferred than grammatically-correct english
• KFC and McDonalds don’t serve spaghettis.
• Rain is very rare. Maybe more or less 5 times it pours annually.
• Police officers don’t carry fire arms on their belts.
• Condoms are visibly displayed in the pharmacies.
• ...

I know this list is not yet over. Everyday's life here is a continues learning and discovery. I will go back to this post once I learned another something new and interesting about Qatar.

Me in the city center Doha

Farewell Dolphy!

Sad to hear, but the Philippine King of Comedy is gone forever. “Dolphy” whose real name is Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. was declared dead at 8:34 PM yesterday, in ICU of Makati Medical Center (MMC) where he stayed there for almost three weeks due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and recurrent pneumonia.

He would have turned 84 this July 25. (Sayang!)

My generation is fortunate enough because I was able to witness how his comedic talent brought laughter and happiness to the Filipino family through his several TV programs and numerous movie appearances. Unquestionably, Dolphy is the King of Comedy of Philippine entertainment because of his exceptional wit, humor, and absurdity towards his character portrayals in radio,TV or movies and even in his personal life. I may not been existing during the “John and Marsha” era, but I was lucky enough to watch and laugh hilariously from his 1990s sitcom “Home Along Da Riles” that lasted for more than a decade.

So since all life after all shall come to an end. Dolphy’s death is not merely the end of the comedy but the beginning for the new generation to appreciate life amid adversaries and sacrifices, not to frown but to smile and laugh as what King of Comedy himself did.

As to the question in a certain interview, of what did he think of the best legacy he would be leaving behind besides making people laugh,

He said: “Kapag naaalala ko kung tumatawa ang tao , masaya na ako.” (When I remember seeing people laugh, I’m happy already!)

Indeed, your legacy you instilled in the mind and hearts of the Filipino people will always be remembered. Thanks Kevin Cosme for making us laugh and happy!

Sample clip of Dolphy's exemplary comedic talent (taken from the movie: Father and Son - 1995):

Why Do I Run?

My beloved mother died when she was just 48 years old. I was a grade school pupil then. Her diagnosis: Cerebral Hemorrhage Secondary to Cerebro-Vascular Stroke (CVA commonly known as stroke). Also, my good father died when he was only 61 years old; not enough to enjoy his life as a senior citizen. His diagnosis: Myocardial Infarction (common term - heart attack) related to Chronic Diabetes. My mother’s mother died also from stroke. Her eldest brother, my uncle, also died from stroke. Her other siblings, my uncles and aunties, also experience signs and symptoms of hypertension (with high blood pressure). My father’s three siblings are official members of diabetes association (if there’s any). And so on. In short, hypertension and diabetes runs in our family. This implies that: if a member of my family has this disease, everyone in the family has a higher risk to acquire such disease.

Based from the study, heart and vascular-related disease are one of the leading causes of mortality among the Filipinos every year. So since, anyone could have a stroke or heart attack whatever the age, gender, or race but the chances to suffer this kind disease increases if the person has risk factors that causes the said diseases. Though these are in our genes, which we cannot avoid, but in reality, most stroke/heart attack cases could have been prevented or controlled. The only best way to protect one’s self is to know the personal risks and how to manage these. High blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, and obesity are just few of the risk factors that can be both managed and controlled by anyone. The only thing to do is self-discipline and healthy-living.

This is the main reason why I do run. It is a general fact to everybody that running or jogging brings a lot of benefits to our own body – mentally and physically. Most people never agree to this kind of thought. They usually reason out it’s just a waste of time and energy. Instead of running/jogging or doing any type of work out or exercise during their free time, they preferred to watch movies from their favorite cinemas, eat in a newly-open restaurants, sleep from dusk till dawn, play games in computers/PSP’s, and so on. These activities are not bad at all. However, if you wish to be physically fit and healthy (away from heart and vascular diseases), you have to alter your sedentary lifestyle. Try running or jogging during your free time. Of course, you’ll definitely get tired at first but once you’re used to it, running is really a real pleasure. I may have the high risk of having a stroke/heart attack because of our family history, but genetics is not the whole story. Both stroke/heart attack/diabetes is mainly associated to poor eating habits, being overweight, smoking, and having inactive physical activities. By running, I can rid all of these.

According to http://www.health.am Jogging/Running has many mental and physical benefits to offer. Once regularly done, it effectively improves one’s health and fitness. The physical benefits of jogging include:

Weight loss - jogging faster body metabolic operations resulting in increased burning of calories. On this way it is possible to lose weight and achieve better and firmer body figure.

Burn abdominal fat - It is known that abdominal fat hardly go away. It can be argued with certainty that jogging is one of the most effective exercises for burning fat from the abdomen and hips.

Improve appetite – although overweight, these people usually suffer from loss of appetite. As mentioned, run speeds up metabolism, which requires more energy. Required energy is introduced through the food. So jogging increases the need for food which on a healthy way spreads to the organism.

Jogging relieves stress - by raising the level of endorphin lifts mood. In addition, during the jogging people have time alone to think about problems and as they the longer run, they find extra power to deal with these problems. If a person is angry and furious, he/she can choose the sprint to get out the negative emotions.

Jogging relieves stress - by raising the level of endorphin lifts mood. In addition, during the jogging people have time alone to think about problems and as they the longer run, they find extra power to deal with these problems. If a person is angry and furious, he/she can choose the sprint to get out the negative emotions.

Strengthen muscles and bone density - it is quite certain that jogging strengthens the muscles and bones became more stable and more mobile, especially the back, hips and legs.

Fights insomnia - jogging involves certain amount of physical fatigue, which provides a healthy and strong dream.

Fights aging - given that jogging strengthens bones and muscles that prevent their decline, which normally occurs with age. So, jogging slows aging.

Fight diseases - boosting the immune system, regularly jogging decreases risk of diseases such as cancer, heart attack, diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis.

Cardiovascular benefits – jogging increases lung capacity which provides more oxygen to all vital body organs. In addition, jogging speeds up heart rate, this strengthens the heart muscle, reducing the risk of heart diseases. Also, running lowers blood pressure.

In addition to physical health, jogging has many positive psychological impacts:

Jogging build confidence - it increases the strength of the body, giving joggers the courage to face the bigger and more serious trials of life. In addition, losing weight and tighten the muscles contribute to increasing confidence.

Jogging trains mind - since the jogger encounters various obstacles during running and continually sets himself new goals to be achieved, this kind of thinking can be transferred to other situations in life.

Should i say more?